Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Restaurateurs across the country call on Congress to end government shutdown, raise debt ceiling

The National Restaurant
Association announced the launch of a broad-based grassroots effort among
its members, urging Congress to end the government shutdown and raise the debt
ceiling in order to maintain economic confidence.

“The restaurant industry provides opportunities to over 13
million Americans, and the ability to sustain business while maintaining
consumer confidence is greatly impacted by our nation’s economic health,” said
Scott Defife, Executive Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs, the
National Restaurant Association. “The debate over government funding and the
debt ceiling, while important, is cutting into restaurant operators’ bottom-line
every day the government remains closed. The shutdown is negatively impacting
the livelihood of our restaurant customers and our workers. Congress must act
now to end the government shutdown and restore economic certainty.”

The NRA is directing its members to America’s Restaurant Advocates initiative, an industry-wide, national grassroots advocacy program
that connects restaurateurs with elected officials on issues critical to the
industry. The Association is encouraging
restaurant operators to sign a letter and share their personal stories with
their elected officials.

Ahead of the Oct. 1 shutdown, the NRA, along with more 250 other organizations, called on Congress
to pass a continuing resolution to fund the federal government into the next
fiscal year, raise the debt limit, reform entitlement programs, and tackle tax
reform. In a joint letter, the groups said that government shutdowns can cause
even more uncertainty in a fragile economy.

In his recent Economist Notebook, the NRA’s Chief Economist Bruce Grindy noted that both
consumers and restaurant operators already had low expectations for the
economy, and the shutdown will only add to the uncertainty in the months ahead.

Only 23 percent of restaurant operators said they expected
the economy to improve in six months, according to the NRA’s September 2013
Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey. Another NRA survey found that only 21 percent of consumers said they expected the
nation’s economy to be better in the next six months.